Search results

Which level of government is most appropriate for environmental policy making in a confederal or federal system? How does the level of government at which policy is made and implemented affect the choice of policy instruments? This important new volume addresses these problems by comparing environmental policies and practices in the European Union and the United States. In Environmental Policy with Political and Economic Integration, a distinguished group of authors discusses how environmental policy in a federal or confederal system may differ both in theory and practice from that found in a unitary government system. After examining the framework for environmental policy in the EU and US, the authors present papers on their federal institutions, the economic forces affecting environmental governance, the choice of policy instruments, linkages between trade and environmental policy and environmental regulations within international trade negotiations. The final part brings together a series of case studies which sheds new light on the research questions formulated earlier in the book. Issues discussed include the regulation of agricultural pollution, global warming, ozone pollution and environmental security. In addition to its detailed discussion of environmental policy in the EU and the US, Environmental Policy with Political and Economic Integration will be essential reading for both scholars and policymakers concerned with designing and implementing regulations to protect the environment

"In the heart of Europe's current crisis, one of the continent's foremost statesmen urges for a radical remaking of the European Union in the model of the United States The diseases that plague Europe respect no borders. Guy Verhofstadt, former prime minister of Belgium and a leader in the European Parliament, shows that wherever we look-from the debt crisis in Greece to the rise of political Islam across Europe, the Syrian refugee crisis to Putin's aggressive imperialism-we see colossal challenges far too large for any single nation to overcome. In Europe's Last Chance, Verhofstadt proposes that Europe abandon the artificial divisions of nation-states and instead embrace a unified democracy on a continental scale: a United States of Europe. Revealing how this seemingly impossible dream nearly became a reality in 1953-when only a last-minute vote by the French parliament stopped a political and military unification of France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands-Verhofstadt builds a powerful and surprising argument for the necessity of unity; so that Europe remains secure, influential, and prosperous into the future"--

Since the 1970s, several European countries have experienced high union dissolution risk as well as high unemployment rates. The extent to which adverse economic conditions are associated with union instability is still unknown. This study explores the relationship between both individual and aggregate unemployment and union dissolution risk in five European countries before the recent economic crisis. Using rich longitudinal data from Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, and Italy, the empirical analysis, based on discrete-time event history models, shows that male unemployment consistently increases the risk of union dissolution. While a strong association is observed between male unemployment and separation at the micro level, no association is found between male unemployment and union dissolution at the macro level. The results for female unemployment are mixed, and the size of the impact of female unemployment is smaller in magnitude than that of male unemployment. In Germany and Italy, where until very recently work is less compatible with family life than in other countries, female unemployment is not significantly associated with union dissolution.

Cover -- Contents -- List of Features -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- List of Abbreviations -- Chapter 1 Introduction: Why Study EU Trade Policy? -- Why do countries trade? -- Why do EU member states trade under a common policy? -- The EU as a trade power -- Shaping the contents of EU trade policy -- Outline of the chapters -- Further reading -- Chapter 2 The Legal Development of the Common Commercial Policy -- Creating a customs union: the need for a common commercial policy -- Clarifying competences: the role of the Court of Justice -- Responding to challenges: Treaty reforms -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 3 Actors and Processes in EU Trade Policy -- Actors in EU trade policy -- Negotiating international trade agreements -- Framework legislation for implementing the common commercial policy -- Delegation and implementing powers of the European Commission -- Applying trade policy instruments -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 4 The Political Economy of Trade Policymaking in the EU -- Exploring the roots of EU trade policy -- Explaining negotiation dynamics -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 5 The European Union in the World Trade Organization -- The global trade regime -- The WTO: a forum for trade liberalization, negotiation and enforcement -- EU membership in the WTO -- The EU's role in the WTO -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 6 EU Trade and Development Policy -- The development of EU-ACP relations -- The EU's relations with Asian and Latin American countries -- The EU's Generalized System of Preferences -- EU development policy: goals, actors and instruments -- EU humanitarian assistance -- Conclusion -- Further reading -- Chapter 7 Challenges for EU Trade Policy -- The EU's global network of trade agreements -- The internal market and trade policy -- Foreign policy and trade.

In the world of 7 billion people, the emergence of more turbulent times in international relations has unleashed numerous forces that are undermining the very foundations of the sovereign state system. The incredible level of inequality between different peoples around the world and the increase in hate crimes against different religions and cultures is manifesting itself in ways that are often proving very difficult to manage within countries and at a regional level. The process of rapid change in domestic and international relations continues at an amazing pace affecting the fabric of our political, economic and social landscape. Since the end of the Cold War in general but especially since the Arab upheavals of 2011, major questions are being asked in Europe and the Arab world about which direction the world is moving in and whether this is the path to a future of more stability and prosperity or uncertainty and austerity. ; N/A

Over the next couple of years, the European Union will face a difficult stage, being confronted with the eventual transition to a monetary union. In the beginning of 1997, it is less clear than ever, if and when the European Monetary Union will eventually be realized, which countries will join in this process, and which countries will benefit from monetary union or are likely to loose out. Using econometric methods, the work attempts to assess the real economic effects of the European Monetary Union. In a first step, differences in labor and goods market adjustment processes between the fifteen member states of the European Union, the United States and Canada are studied in order to evaluate the short-term prospects of monetary union. Turning to the long-run effects, within a second step, convergence of living standards is assessed.

EU policymaking : issues and debates / Laurie Buonanno and Nikolaos Zahariadis -- Principal-agent models / Yannis Karagiannis and Mattia Guidi -- Regulatory governance in the EU / Alessandro Cagossi -- Multiple streams / Nicole Herwig and Nikolaos Zahariadis -- Punctuated equilibrium theory / Christian Breunig, Daniela Beyer, and Marco Radojevic -- The internal market / Laurie Buonanno -- EU competition rules and the European integration project / Angela Wigge and Hubert Buch-Hansen -- Changing governance of cohesion policy / Carolyn Dudek -- Social policy / Claire Dupuy and Sophie Jacquot -- Gender policy / Sophie Jacquot -- Economic and monetary union / Waltraud Shelke -- Banking policy / Stefaan DeRynck -- The globalization trilemma and the EMU's second-order democratic deficit / Nikitas Konstantinidis and Ruben Treurniet -- The EU budget / Gabriele Cipriani -- European immigration and asylum policy / Alexander Caviedes -- Police and judicial cooperation policy / Stephen Rozée, Christian Kaunert and Sarah Léonard -- European Union privacy and data protection policy / George Christou -- The common foreign and security policy / Sara Kahn-Nisser -- Trade policy / Holly Jarman -- Enlargement policy / Neill Nugent -- The European neighbourhood policy / Mariam Dekanozishvili -- The cap : common dynamics of policy change in an uncommon policy domain / Gerry Alons and Pieter Zwaan -- European energy policy / Nicole Herwig -- EU policy on the environment / Jale Tosun -- Lobbying and interest group politics in the European Union / Andreas Hofmann -- Agenda setting in the European Union / Petya Alexandrova and Marcello Carammia -- Understanding the EU's policymaking institutions / John McCormick -- Strategic framing and the European Commission / Mark Rhinard -- Implementation and enforcement of EU polices / Gerda Falkner -- If evaluation is the solution, what is the problem? / Claire A. Dunlop and Claudio M. Radaelli -- Resisting in times of crisis : the implementation of European austerity plans in Ireland and Greece / Clément Fontan, Sabine Saurugger and Nikolaos Zahariadis -- Resistance in European Union health care policy / Scott L. Greer -- Evasion as a mechanism of resistance (not only) to European law / Annette Elisabeth Töller -- European level policy dynamics in higher education / Martina Vukasovic -- The infusion of Europe in public policy : the case of higher education / Pauline Ravinet

In the context of increasingly salient economic disparities between member states, this article tests the novel theoretical claim that perceptions of inequality between European Union (EU) member states diminish citizens' trust in European institutions. Drawing on system justification theory, we argue that the negative effect of perceived intercountry inequality will be reduced as individuals become more willing to accept social inequality and to reject redistribution. We test these propositions using a survey experiment conducted in Spain (Study 1) and a representative survey in eight EU countries (Study 2). Results from Study 1 show that when citizens are led to believe that overall levels of inequality within the EU are high, they tend to express lower levels of trust in European institutions than when displayed low levels of inequality. This finding is replicated in Study 2 using observational data on individual perceptions of inequality between countries. Results confirm the role of system‐justifying beliefs as a psychological antecedent of responses to inequality between countries.

Background: There is a gap in knowledge on long term pace of population aging acceleration and related net-migration rate changes in WHO European Region and its adjacent MENA countries. We decided to compare European Union (EU-28) region with the EU Near Neighborhood Policy Region East and EU Near Neighborhood Policy Region South in terms of these two essential features of third demographic transition. One century long perspective dating back to both historical data and towards reliable future forecasts was observed. Methods: United Nation's Department of Economic and Social Affairs estimates on indicators of population aging and migration were observed. Time horizon adopted was 1950–2050. Targeted 44 countries belong to either one of three regions named by EU diplomacy as: European Union or EU-28, EU Near Neighborhood Policy Region East (ENP East) and EU Near Neighborhood Policy Region South (ENP South). Results: European Union region currently experiences most advanced stage of demographic aging. The latter one is the ENP East region dominated by Slavic nations whose fertility decline continues since the USSR Era back in late 1980s. ENP South region dominated by Arab League nations remains rather young compared to their northern counterparts. However, as the Third Demographic Transition is inevitably coming to these societies they remain the spring of youth and positive net emigration rate. Probably the most prominent change will be the extreme fall of total fertility rate (children per woman) in ENP South countries (dominantly Arab League) from 6.72 back in 1950 tomedium-scenario forecasted 2.10 in 2050. In the same time net number ofmigrants in the EU28 (both sexes combined) will grow from − 91,000 in 1950 to + 394,000 in 2050. Conclusions: Long term migration from Eastern Europe westwards and from MENA region northwards is historically present for many decades dating back deep into the Cold War Era. Contemporary large-scale migrations outsourcing from Arab League nations towards rich European Protestant North is probably the peak of an iceberg in long migration routes history. However, in the decades to come acceleration of aging is likely to question sustainability of such movements of people. ; peer-reviewed

Defence date: 10 July 2014 ; Examining Board: Hans-Wolfang Micklitz, European University Institute (Supervisor); Giorgio Monti, European University Institute; Geraint Howells, University of Manchester; Viktor Kreuschitz, General Court of the European Union. ; This thesis examines the relationship between the law on unfair commercial practices and consumer contract law. The thesis develops the claim that Directive 2005/29/EC, on unfair commercial practices (UCPD) has had a strong impact on the content of consumer contract law, despite the declaration concerning the independence between both branches of law contained in Article 3(2) UCPD. In order to substantiate this claim, the thesis examines the implications for consumer contract law of the main components of the regulatory regime laid down by the UCPD, namely, (1) the notion of average consumer, (2) the duty to trade fairly, (3) the duty of information and (4) the remedies. By looking both at the theoretical underpinnings and at the actual operation of this regulatory regime, the thesis casts light on the way in which the UCPD has shaped consumer contract law. The thesis further shows that this is an ongoing phenomenon whose ramifications may be far-reaching, for it implies that the UCPD is powerfully fuelling the Europeanization of contract law.

Hakutermit: ihmisoikeudet, perusoikeudet, Euroopan unioni, laajentuminen Kuluvan kuukauden ensimmäisenä päivänä kymmenen uutta jäsenvaltiota liittyivät Euroopan unioniin. Kööpenhaminassa vuonna 1993 kokoontunut Eurooppaneuvosto määritteli yhdeksi jäsenyyden poliittiseksi kriteeriksi oikeusvaltioperiaatteen kunnioittamisen sekä ihmisoikeuksien ja vähemmistöjen suojelun. Tämä tutkielma tarkastelee tuon poliittisluontoisen jäsenyysedellytyksen oikeudellista pohjaa, sitä mihin perus- ja ihmisoikeuksien kunnioittamisen vaade oikeudellisesti perustuu. Huomioiden sen, että hakijavaltioiden odotetaan hyväksyvän koko acquis communautaire liittyessään Unioniin, edellyttää em. kysymykseen vastaaminen sen selvittämistä, mikä perus- ja ihmisoikeuksien asema ja sisältö Unionin oikeudessa on. Vaikka tarkastelunäkökulma on hakijavaltioiden, tutkielman tehtävänä ei ole selvittää EU:n perus- ja ihmisoikeusnormien valtionsisäistä voimaansaattamista, vaan tarkastelu on puhtaasti Euroopan unionin oikeusjärjestykseen keskittyvää. Hakijavaltioiden perspektiiviä palvellen kuitenkin jonkin verran niin jäsen- että hakijavaltioiden ihmisoikeustilannetta tarkastellaan tutkimuksessa tarkoituksena selvittää se, miten hyvin oikeudelliset vaatimukset toteutuvat käytännössä. Kysymyksessä on luonteeltaan oikeusdogmaattinen julkisoikeuden sekä eurooppaoikeuden alaan kuuluva tutkimus. Tutkimusmetodit ovat pääosin deskriptiivisiä, mutta myös jonkin verran vertailevan tutkimuksen metodeja on käytetty. Normatiivisen tutkimuksen luonteeseen liittyen, sekä huomioiden yhteisöoikeuden erityispiirteet, tutkimus nojaa ensisijaisesti voimassa olevaan yhteisöoikeuteen. Kuitenkin, esimerkiksi jäsenvaltioiden sekä hakijavaltioiden ihmisoikeustilanteen tarkastelun osalta myös poliittisoikeudellista materiaalia on käytetty. Mainittakoon vielä, että läpi tutkimuksen on tarkastelun "punaisena lankana" käytetty Kaarlo Tuorin kriittisen oikeuspositivismin teoriaa. Keskeisenä tutkimustuloksena on pääteltävissä, että oikeudellisesti hakijavaltioille asetettu perus- ja ihmisoikeuksien noudattamisen vaade perustuu Sopimuksen Euroopan unionista (SEU) artiklaan 49, joka määrittää jäsenyyden ehdoksi mm. artiklassa 6(1) luetellut periaatteet. Koska viimeksi mainittu artikla, tai perustamissopimuksen yleensäkään, ei kuitenkaan sisällä kansallisille perustuslaeille ominaista perusoikeuksien luetteloa, haastavammaksi kysymykseksi osoittautuikin sen selvittäminen, mitkä yksittäiset oikeudet ovat luettavissa artiklassa 6(1) SEU mainitun perus- ja ihmisoikeuksien käsitteen sisään. Tämä edellyttää primaarioikeuden lisäksi myös yhteisön sekundaarilainsäädännön, sekä erityisesti Euroopan yhteisöjen tuomioistuimen oikeuskäytännön tarkastelua. Lisäksi Euroopan unionin perusoikeuskirjan, relevantin soft law:n, sekä jäsenmaiden solmimien kansainvälisten ihmisoikeussopimusten läpikäynti on tarpeen. Edelleen, komission vuosittain julkaisemien hakijavaltioita tarkastelevien raporttien (maaraporttien) sekä toisaalta Unionin ulkopuolisten tahojen julkaisemien raporttien tarkastelu on aiheellista. Edellä mainittujen lähteiden tarkastelun perusteella voidaan johtopäätöksenä todeta, että artiklan 6(1) SEU perus- ja ihmisoikeuksien käsite sisältää vähintään kaikki ne ihmisoikeudet, jotka on tunnustettu EU:n jäsenvaltioiden toimesta Yhdistyneiden kansakuntien, ETYJ:n sekä Euroopan neuvoston kontekstissa. Toisin sanoen, Euroopan unioni odottaa hakijavaltioiden on kunnioitettava niin kansalais- ja poliittisia oikeuksia; taloudellisia, sivistyksellisiä ja sosiaalisia oikeuksia, kuin nk. kolmannen sukupolven kollektiivisia oikeuksia ainakin vähemmistöjen oikeuksien osalta. Tutkimuksen toisena keskeisenä tutkimustuloksena tuli esille, että huolimatta siitä, että perus- ja ihmisoikeudet ovat voimakkaasti nousemassa olennaiseksi osaksi Euroopan unionin ydintä, on riittävän hyvän perus- ja ihmisoikeuksien kunnioittamisen suojan saavuttamiseksi tehtävä vielä paljon. Varsinkin hakijavaltioiden näkökulmasta tässä tutkimuksessa esiin tulleet puutteet Unionin perus- ja ihmisoikeussuojan tasossa, sekä etenkin sen käytännön toteutumisessa, vähentävät Unionin uskottavuutta. Toivottavaa onkin, että käynnissä oleva Unionin perustuslakiprosessi viedään loppuun mahdollisimman pikaisesti, sekä että siihen sisältyvä vakuutus Euroopan unionin liittymisestä Euroopan ihmisoikeussopimukseen toteutetaan. Muutostarpeet kohdistuvat myös Euroopan yhteisöjen tuomioistuimen toimintaan sekä vastikään perustetun Unionin oman Ihmisoikeusviraston oikeudellisen perustan turvaamiseen. Lopulta, Euroopan unionin laajentumisen jatkuessa edelleen, Unionin on aihetta tarkastaa sen instituutioiden suorittaman, niin hakijavaltioihin kuin jäsenvaltioihin kohdistuvan perus- ja ihmisoikeuksien kunnioittamisen valvonnan perusteita ja käytäntöjä. ; TABLE OF CONTENTS REFERENCES IV LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS XIV 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Subject, Objectives and Contents of the Study 1 1.2 Theoretical Framework, Research Methods and Source Material 4 1.3 What are human rights and fundamental freedoms? 11 1.3.1 Terminology of human rights and related concepts 11 1.3.2 Background and contents of fundamental rights 12 1.3.3 Characteristics of human rights 14 1.4 General remarks on the enlargement 15 2. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS DIMENSION INTO THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY 17 2.1 The point of departure ­ Tabula rasa 17 2.2 The decisive role of the European Court of Justice 19 2.2.1 Initial resistance of the European Court of Justice 19 2.2.2 Human Rights dialogue between the European Court of Justice and the national courts 20 2.2.3 Defining the origins of fundamental rights as general principles of the Community law 24 2.2.4 Expanding Judicial Review to Member State Actions 29 2.2.5 Summa summarum 34 2.2.5.1 General remarks 34 2.2.5.2 Sources of inspiration 35 2.2.5.3 Contents of the Fundamental Rights protection provided by the European Court of Justice 36 2.3 The role of the other institutions in the fundamental rights development of the European Community 38 3. HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 40 3.1 Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in primary law of the European Union 40 3.1.1 General rules for the protection of fundamental rights within the European Union 40 3.1.2 Jurisdiction of the Court of Justice in matters relating to fundamental rights 41 3.1.3 Suspension clauses 42 3.1.4 Fundamental rights as a precondition to the membership of the European Union 44 3.1.5 Non-discrimination 44 3.1.6 Legal basis for human rights in the external policies of the Union 45 3.1.7 Rights of citizenship 46 3.1.8 Other primary law provision on human rights and fundamental freedoms of the European Union 46 3.2 Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the secondary law of the European Union 47 3.3 Human rights in the external relations of the European Union 49 3.3.1 External human rights policy before the Treaty of Maastricht 49 3.3.2 Human rights in the external relations of the European Union 51 3.4 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union 52 3.4.1 Background of the Charter 52 3.4.2 Contents of the Charter 54 3.4.3 Scope of the Charter 55 3.4.4 Legal status of the Charter 57 3.5 Excursion: Fundamental Rights in the Member States of the European Union 61 3.5.1 Assessment of fundamental rights situation in a Member State 61 3.5.2 Evaluation of the respect for Fundamental Rights in the current Member States 66 4. RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AS A PRECONDITION OF THE MEMBERSHIP 69 4.1 The political criteria 69 4.2 The legal conditions of eligibility for membership of the Union 71 4.2.1 General remarks 71 4.2.2 Civil Rights 73 4.2.3 Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 73 4.2.4 Third generation of human rights 74 4.3 Of the monitoring process 75 4.3.1 Foundations of the monitoring process 75 4.3.2 Annual Reports of the Commission 76 4.4 Evaluation of the Candidate Countries for the Membership of the EU 79 4.4.1 General observations of the Opinions and the Reports of the Commission 79 4.4.2. Civil and Political Rights 81 4.4.3. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 84 4.4.4 Minority Rights 86 4.4.5 Concluding remarks of the evaluation 88 5. THE CHALLENGES OF EUROPEAN UNION IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS 89 5.1 European Court of Justice in a turning point 89 5.2 Accession of the Union to the ECHR 90 5.3 A Constitutional Treaty for the European Union 94 5.3.1 Background of the Constitution process and general remarks 94 5.3.2 Fundamental rights as an objective of the European Union 95 5.3.3 Incorporation of the Charter in the Constitution of Europe 96 5.3.4 Legal basis for the accession of the Union to the ECHR 100 5.4 Institutional arrangements and other developments 101 6. CONCLUSIONS 102